ePortfolio: From the National Context to Your Individual Institution
2020-02-20 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes:

Participants will gain an understanding of current ePortolio levels and practices across Irish Higher Education institutions
Participants will recognise the value of ePortfolio practice as a component of different pedagogies and across different contexts to enhance the quality of learning and teaching across an institution
Participants will connect with peers and the wider ePortfolio Ireland Community to build connections to support further ePortfolio development for curricular and co-curricular activities

Exploring Competency Based Education; A Lexis for Collaborative Curriculum Design Incorporating Staff, Students and Professionals
2020-02-20 09:30 - 13:30 UTC | Mary Immaculate College, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Define what is Competency Based Education (CBE)
Evaluate the benefits and challenges of Competency Based Education in HE
Explore how CBE can create dialog between students, staff and professional organisations
Explore how to transition a programme to CBE
Evaluate how to integrate learners and professional organisations into collaborative curriculum design using competency based frameworks

Teaching and Learning Research Fellowships
2020-02-27

Writing Key Policy Theories and Concepts in 1000 Words
2020-02-27 09:30 - 13:00 | TU Dublin, City Campus, Ireland
Learning Outcomes:

Participants will be able to demonstrate an appreciation for the importance of having short readings of topical issues
Participants will be able to demonstrate an ability to write short summary pieces of important issues for students to read as an additional resource and publish short blog posts (500 word ‘take home’ posts; 1000 word blog post series)
Participants will have an opportunity to network with other academics who share an interest in this technique

4th Annual Access Forum
2020-02-27 10:30 - 13:30
The 4th Annual Access Forum will take place on Thursday, 27th February 2020 in the Spencer Hotel, Excise Walk, IFSC, Dublin 1.
The Forum will run from 10 am and will conclude with lunch at 13.30 approximately.
Invitation and further details will follow in due course.

Free Resources for Courses
2020-03-04 | Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Look at how Open Educational Resources (OER) can work for higher education
Explain the use of Creative Commons Licenses and how they work
Understand and relate to how OER resources are created and maintained for wider reuse
Understand how OER can create a suite of degree programmes to enable more people access to education for life and in an economic and efficient manner

The ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Technology-Enhanced Assessment
2020-03-05 09:30 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Express an understanding of technology
enhanced assessment
Critically identify reasons for utilising technology
enhanced assessment in participant’s own practice
Illustrate practical steps for embedding technology
enhanced assessment in participant’s own practice
Develop digital rubrics and marking schemes for use in a virtual learning environment

Developing Culturally Responsive Assessment in Higher Education
2020-03-06 10:00 - 16:00 | National College of Ireland, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Reflect on own cultural identity and intercultural awareness
Recognise the impact of culture on learning and assessment
Examine relevant concepts and issues related to designing culturally responsive assessment e.g. multicultural validity, construct validity, intercultural education
Explore and evaluate a range of culturally responsive approaches to assessment
Identify opportunities to support the development of culturally responsive assessment in own disciplinary and institutional contexts

AHEAD Conference 2020: Webinar Series
2020-03-26 - 2020-05-28 | Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
This annual international conference in Croke Park has been cancelled because of the Coronavirus outbreak, AHEAD have been looking at ways that they can creatively react in these challenging times and are bringing you- Through the Looking Glass- A 10 Week Conference.
On the days the conference was originally scheduled (March 26th and 27th), AHEAD will be hosting keynote sessions online and dropping weekly content taken from other parts of the original programme over the 9 weeks following it.
More info at https://www.ahead.ie/conference2020

MoodleMunch – lunchtime webinar series
2020-04-21 - 2020-06-23
MoodleMunch is a lunchtime webinar series, led by Dublin City University and supported by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, in which members of the Irish and UK Moodle community can share knowledge, good practice and innovations from their own institutions. Each webinar will explore Moodle innovations that support the development of educators’ competences on the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) and that relate to the findings of the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey.
Participation in the webinar series is a form of professional learning categorised as ‘structured, non-accredited (non-formal)’ in the National Forum Professional Development Framework.
More Information including Registration

Online Meeting with SATLE Funded Initiative Leads on 22 April
2020-04-22
An online meeting is taking place on 22 April, open to all teaching and learning initiative leads and institutional leads, to discuss initiatives funded under the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding in Higher Education 2019.
Collectively, the initiatives represent an investment of €5.57m across 22 higher education institutions, focused on ensuring that teaching and learning within and across subject areas is characterised by innovation, coherence, connectedness and meaningful student engagement. This online meeting will provide an opportunity for institution leads to share their approaches and identify potential for synergies and collaboration. Participants will also have an opportunity to discuss topics such as the National Forum DELTA Framework, how best to share resources arising from their work, and how to capture and communicate the impact of their initiatives. A list of all funded initiatives can be accessed here.

Online Event- Engaging with the Professional Development Framework: User Perspectives
2020-04-23 10:00 - 11:30
This is an interactive online event that will introduce participants to different approaches to implementing professional development frameworks at institutional level. Peer-connections will be encouraged through interactive activities and facilitated dialogue.
Speakers will discuss their experiences of implementing institutional professional development structures, the challenges and enablers that arose during that process and will provide tangible advice arising from their lived experiences.
Learning outcomes
Throughout, and upon completion of, this National Forum Seminar, participants will:
1. Share experiences of different approaches to implementing professional development frameworks in higher education
2. Discuss the benefits and challenges of using professional development frameworks in higher education
3. Promote engagement with, and implementation of, professional development frameworks
4. Identify and employ resources to facilitate the implementation professional development frameworks
5. Network and engage in peer learning around varied experiences of implementing professional development frameworks

National Forum Webinar: Embedding Data Use for Supporting Students
2020-04-28 12:30 - 13:30
This event has passed. Click here to view the recording. The National Forum’s ‘Embedding Data Use for Supporting Students’ webinar took place on Tuesday 28 April 2020. It is the third in an ongoing National Forum webinar series that looks at effective practices for using data to support students.
This event focused on the challenges and benefits of embedding data use into ongoing institutional practices. The speaker line-up featured Ed Foster, Nottingham Trent University, who discussed the university’s lessons learned in devising and implementing one of the UK’s pioneering learning analytics platforms, the NTU Student Dashboard. Closer to home, Dublin Business School’s Lee Richardson and Sarah Sharkey explored their experience of intervening with students who may be struggling, as identified by their home-grown early alert system. Speaker Jeremy Britton introduced University College Dublin’s Unified Service Model which uses data to ensure student queries and issues are addressed and resolved efficiently and consistently across the campus.

Online Launch of INDEx Report
2020-05-07 11:00 - 12:15
Registration is now closed but we invite you to view the live INDEx Survey launch broadcast at the link below:

About this Event

Link for live broadcast at 11am: www.teachingandlearning.ie/index
This event also will be live tweeted using the hashtag #INDExSurvey
Thank you for your interest.
The INDEx Survey, which took place in autumn 2019, saw 25,484 students and 4,445 staff who teach across 32 Irish higher education institutions help to inform and influence the future enhancement of digital teaching and learning in Irish higher education.
This is the first time that both students and staff contributed to a national evidence base of this kind in Ireland. The tagline for the INDEx Survey, ‘Let’s see where we are so we can build our future together’, reflected the collaborative and focused intentions behind the Survey, which was coordinated by the National Forum in partnership with the wider higher education community.
The online event on 7 May 2020 takes place at a time of unprecedented global challenge in which the importance of confident, supported engagement with digital technology has become clear to all. The INDEx findings represent a unique and timely record of the digital engagement, experiences and expectations of those who teach and learn in higher education nationally and an important benchmark for our sector.
The launch will feature guest speakers, creative input from staff and students across the sector, and a summary of key national findings related to:
• Digital teaching and learning practices
• Digital infrastructure
• Digital skills development and support
• Digital environment and culture
• Attitudes to digital
Building on significant recent Government investment in building digital capacity in Irish higher education, the INDEx findings will inform a new vision for digital teaching and learning in Irish higher education, underpinned by robust digital infrastructures, policies and pedagogical approaches.

Meeting of National Forum Associates on 19 May
2020-05-19
The next meeting of the National Forum Associates Assembly will take place in Dublin on 19 May 2020. The Assembly is comprised of two representatives from each higher education institution, who meet as a collective twice per year to hear about and provide input into the work of the National Forum and its partners. The Assembly is key to ensuring clear two-way communications between the National Forum and higher education institutions across the country. A list of National Forum Associates can be accessed here.

Online Event- Making Connections: Research and Professional Development
2020-05-28 | Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LyIT), Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Discuss the impact of research on your professional development
Explore the concept of collaborative professionalism and build networks
Build a shared expertise of educational research to support your professional growth
Source evidence of the impact of educational research and utilise it in your practice
Identify and explore with colleagues the synergies between your respective professional development plans and frameworks

Webinar: Creating and Sharing Open Educational Resources (OER)
2020-05-28 11:00 - 12:00
This webinar will explore how to share resources which you have developed as open educational resources (OER) in order to facilitate sharing and reuse by others. Key topics will include choosing an open licence, creating an open licence, and considerations for sharing and reuse. The webinar will use the National Forum Open Licensing Toolkit as a reference guide.
The webinar will include guest speakers and will be facilitated by Catherine Cronin (National Forum). Guest speakers will share their experiences of creating and sharing OER developed in past projects in Irish higher education, including what they have learned through the process. Catherine will share how the National Forum supports the use of open licensing and OER, specifically for initiatives funded under the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund but also for other work developed within Irish higher education.
Please sign up here to participate — the webinar link will be shared with all participants in advance of the workshop. The webinar is open to all students and staff in Irish higher education.
This webinar supports the National Forum’s current strategy to promote agile, responsive approaches to teaching and learning in an open digital world and to provide targeted support for those who guide and support the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Online Event: Undergraduate Psychology in Ireland 2020 - 2030
2020-06-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Discuss participant’s provision of undergraduate psychology as they are challenged to evaluate and develop their current systems in a rapidly evolving environment (e.g. changes to learner profile, mode and timing of engagement, market and progression route drivers) while maintaining alignment to professional body requirements
Reflect on best practice in teaching and learning with regard to programme level strategy for learning design and assessment in the context of undergraduate psychology provision
Examine ways in which a forward looking discipline culture can be cultivated in order to prepare undergraduate psychology programme teams to meet teaching and learning challenges in the next ten years

Please see registration link below.

DELTA Award Information Webinar
2020-06-17 12:00 - 13:00

Early Bird Event: Universal Design for Learning- Accessibility & Inclusive Assessment and Feedback (Online)
2020-09-15 | Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
This online workshop is an early bird National Seminar Series 2020/21 event, our full 2020/21 series calendar will launch on 1 October 2020.
Learning Outcomes
• Identify and understand the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Learn how to ensure resources created for students are accessible
• Gain insight into the practical application of UDL principles in both face-to-face and remote educational settings and in particular to assessment and feedback practices
• Learn how to transform assessment strategies to ensure all students have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning

Universal Design for Learning: Accessibility and Inclusive Assessment and Feedback
2020-09-15 00:00 | Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Identify and understand the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Learn how to ensure resources created for students are accessible
• Gain insight into the practical application of UDL principles in both face-to-face and remote educational settings and in particular to assessment and feedback practices
• Learn how to transform assessment strategies to ensure all students have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning

An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - Moving from Emergency Remote Teaching to Intentional Design
2020-09-16 | Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Reflect on the diversity of learners on their modules and/or in their institutions
• Gain an introductory understanding of the Universal Design for Learning framework and how it can support diverse learners
• Consider how they can align changes in their practice with a UDL approach
• Consider undertaking the National Forum designed Universal Design for Learning digital badge, facilitated by WIT in 2021

The New Normal: How to Achieve Effective Remote Working
2020-10-02 | Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Demonstrate the ability to apply virtual/remote work practices in order to enhance learning and teaching delivery
• Identify the environmental problems associated with virtual/remote working, and engage in problem solving strategies to provide suitable solutions
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate, integrate, and apply appropriate virtual work practices into learning and teaching activities

Building Trust in Online T&L - Ethical Practice for Students and Staff
2020-10-08 | Hibernia College
Learning Objectives
• Discuss issues relating to quality assurance, ethics and academic integrity in the online learning environment
• Identify barriers and enablers to trust for both staff and students in the online learning environment
• Identify and employ resources to promote ethical practice for students and staff
• Explore opportunities related to current practice that could be adapted to increase academic integrity and trust in the online learning environment
• Network and engage in peer learning around varied experiences of ethical practice for students and staff in online learning

Digital Professionalism for All Those Who Teach
2020-10-08 | Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Understand the key issues and debates in digital professionalism in professional education
• Apply concepts of digital professionalism to their own teaching, learning, and scholarly activities

The Business of Contract Cheating
2020-10-22 10:00 - 12:00 | Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Inform the sector about the business model associated with contract cheating
• Explore the motivation of learners who engage in contract cheating
• Explore approaches to deterring academic misconduct by engaging learners

Webinar: Data Literacy, Privacy and Protection in Higher Education
2020-10-22 14:00 - 15:00
A national webinar entitled ‘Data Literacy, Privacy and Protection in Higher Education’ is due to take place from 2-3pm on Thursday 22 October 2020. The webinar will be the first in a series of national webinars from the National Forum to take a closer look at key findings from the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey.

At this event, key INDEx findings in relation to data privacy and data protection, informed by close to 30,000 students and staff who teach from across Irish higher education, will be summarised and then explored with respect to teaching and learning, institutional policies, digital and data literacies, and student-staff partnership. Considering the importance of institutions’ GDPR obligations and concerns about personal data privacy more broadly, it is important to ensure students’ data privacy and protection, to communicate clearly to the institutional community regarding related protective measures that are in place, and to support both staff and students with the necessary knowledge and resources. With just half of students agreeing that their institution protected their data privacy, fewer than a third agreeing that they were informed about how their personal data was stored and used, and half of all staff who teach agreeing that they were informed about their responsibilities with regard to managing learner data securely, the INDEx findings suggest that additional work is required on this issue.

A three-speaker panel will be moderated by Dr Catherine Cronin, Strategic Education Developer, National Forum. The speakers are:

Kevin McStravock – Deputy President and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Union of Students in Ireland. Kevin will provide a brief overview of students’ perspectives on data protection and privacy, referring to INDEx findings, as well as issues that students encounter when using the internet and electronic devices.
Dr Gearóid Ó Súilleabháin – Head of Department of Technology Enhanced Learning, Cork Institute of Technology. Gearóid will explore data privacy and protection from an institutional perspective, including examples of how INDEx findings have been built upon at CIT.
Dr Bonnie Stewart – Assistant Professor of Online Pedagogy and Workplace Learning, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, Canada. Bonnie will explore how systems we rely on for scholarship and teaching increasingly translate digital experience into behavioural data and how the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread adoption of online learning amplify the need to address data literacies and practices in higher education.

This webinar will conclude with a panel-participant question and answer session. All are welcome to participate in the webinar.
Bookings are now open at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/webinar-on-data-literacy-privacy-and-protection-in-higher-education-tickets-121215816771.

Plagiarism and Collusion – Myth or Reality? Assessment for Future Needs
2020-10-30 | Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• Enhance awareness amongst all those who teach of the types of plagiarism and collusion that are most prevalent
• Enable debate on the evidence surrounding plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating
• Encourage re-design of assessment practices to support learning and reduce possibilities for plagiarism and collusion
• Embed self-reflection and create awareness of our own biases and assumptions and design strategies to investigate and improve our teaching and assessment approaches, that involve our students’ voices

Exploring the Experiences of Black and Ethnic Minority Students in Higher Education
2020-11-03 | Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland
Learning Objectives
• To discuss the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students in Higher Education
• To explore diversity in the classroom
• To explain and identify the concept of unconscious bias

MoodleMunch Lunchtime Webinar Series
2020-11-03 13:00 - 14:00
Lunchtime webinar series showcasing digital learning and teaching practices
Serving you the second course
MoodleMunch returns in late 2020 serving you a second course of delicious tips, fulfilling insights, meaty case studies, nutritious good practices and more.
Series 2 schedule (2020/2021)

Tuesday 3 November 2020
13:00-14:00
(Timezone: Dublin/Europe)
In this webinar, Dublin City University and Technological University Dublin will deliver presentations.

DCU will present a project to support students developing reflective and digital skills using H5P and Moodle (DigCompEdu competence 6.3 ‘Digital content creation’).
TU Dublin will present its suite of plugins to support teachers in creating content for Moodle using, among other things, Microsoft Word (DigCompEdu competence 2.2 ‘Creating and modifying digital resources’).

Register to attend this webinar on Zoom.

Tuesday 1 December 2020
13:00-14:00
(Timezone: Dublin/Europe)
In this webinar, Dublin City University and Marino Institute of Education will deliver presentations.

DCU will present an initiative to guide students in developing library and academic writing skills (DigCompEdu competence 3.2 ‘Guidance’).
Marino Institute of Education will present its use of podcasts and Moodle to give students flexibility in engaging with content (DigCompEdu competence 2.3 ‘Managing, protecting and sharing digital resources’).

Register to attend this webinar on Zoom.

Tuesday 12 January 2021
13:00-14:00
(Timezone: Dublin/Europe)
In this webinar, Dublin City University and University of Gloucestershire will deliver presentations.

DCU will present its use of gamification within Moodle to enhance student engagement (DigCompEdu competence 5.3 ‘Actively engaging learners’).
University of Gloucestershire will present its project to move all institution assessments and grading to Moodle (DigCompEdu competence 4.1 ‘Assessment strategies’).

Register to attend this webinar on Zoom.

Tuesday 16 February 2021
13:00-14:00
(Timezone: Dublin/Europe)
In this webinar, Dublin City University will deliver a presentation.

DCU will present the application of a toolkit for Universal Design for Learning in Moodle courses (DigCompEdu competence 5.1 ‘Accessibility and inclusion’).
Second speaker to be confirmed.

Register to attend this webinar on Zoom.

Tuesday 9 March 2021
12:00-14:30 (approx)
(Timezone: Dublin/Europe)
MoodleMunch Buffet
Develop digital competences

This capstone event will close off the second series of MoodleMunch. It is a National Forum seminar and the learning objectives are to:
● Understand the broad structure of the DigCompEdu framework;
● Identify specific competences in different areas of the framework that participants wish to develop;
● Appraise the suitability of Moodle approaches and plugins that help develop specific competences;
● Connect with fellow Moodle users and help form a community spirit.

A full schedule of speakers and parallel sessions will be released in due course.

Register to attend this event on Zoom.

Webinar structure

0-5 mins: Introduction
5-20 mins: First presentation
20-30 mins: Q&A
30-45 mins: Second presentation
45-55 mins: Q&A
55-60 mins: Conclusion

About MoodleMunch
MoodleMunch is a lunchtime webinar series, led by Dublin City University and supported by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, in which members of the Moodle community can share knowledge, good practice and innovations from their own institutions. It is an opportunity to learn from one another, get a flavour of Moodle activity taking place across various regions, chew the fat, digest interesting developments and munch on ideas!

In keeping with Moodle’s mission to empower educators, each webinar will explore Moodle innovations and stories that support the development of educators’ competencies on the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu). These stories will also relate to the broad categories of findings of the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) survey of 2019.

Participation in the webinar series is a form of professional learning categorised as “Structured, non-accredited (non-formal)” as per the National Forum Professional Development Framework.
Contact details
For more information on MoodleMunch, please contact Rob Lowney, Learning Technologist, DCU Teaching Enhancement Unit.
